User:Mprocopi/Kenny Leon Biography

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Early Life and Career- Kenny Leon is an African American director who is most famously known for his prominence on Broadway and in other theaters. He was born in in 1957 in Tallahassee, Florida. He attended college at Clark Atlanta University and graduated in1977 as a pre-law student. His time at Clark Atlanta University was a major part of his life. While acting in Atlanta's Academy Theatre, Leon met his future wife, Carol Mitchell, and they married in the same theatre in 1987. Kenny Leon also gained his love for theatre and eventually left law school in California to return to Georgia for acting. This decision to return to theatre was largely influenced by Samuel Jackson and Spike Lee(1). However, the most influential person in Leon's life was definitely Joan Lewis. Joan Lewis was his theatre teacher and Kenny acted in Lewis's theatrical productions. Leon eventually left the Academy Theatre and went on to become the first African American to hold the position of artistic director at the Alliance Theatre. While Leon was the artistic director of Alliance Theatre, its profits show that his presence increased total revenue from 1 million dollars a year to a humongous 5 million dollars per year! He is also only one of three African Americans to lead a major American regional theater. In the 1980‘s, Kenny Leon was one of the most prominent African American directors from non-white constituencies (2). Leon played a major role in the development of equal rights for African Americans in the theater business. In the early 1990’s, The Alliance Theatre of Atlanta hosted premiers of playwrights by famous writers, August Wilson and Athol Fugard and became one of the best, if not the best of the non- profit theaters in the United States, “ In other words, the Alliance Theatre has finally hit the big time," wrote Jill Jordan Sieder of Atlanta Magazine.

True Colors Company and the 2000s- Present- After his stint with the Alliance Theater Company, Leon co-founded and became the artistic director of True Colors Theater Company in 2002, which had locations in both Atlanta and Washington D.C. Kenny’s goal when he started True Colors Theatre Company was to continue his personal goal of continuing and refreshing African American classics, while continuing to produce works from other cultures, perspectives, and times. Kenny is a motivational and inspirational speaker and always presents at various companies and associations around the United States. In 2004, Leon decided to take his prominence to another level by directing a newer version of Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin in the Sun. This version included the famous song producer, Sean Combs (also known as Puff Daddy or P Diddy), Phylicia Rashad, and Audra McDonald. A Raisin in the Sun 'managed to amount the highest- grossing box office sales for a drama in the long history of Broadway! (3). In 2008, Kenny Leon went on to direct a television series of A Raisin in the Sun. In 2010, Leon directed a play called August Wilson's Fences'starring the very famous, Denzel Washington and the actress Viola Davis. This work proved to be one of Leon's best, if not his best, because he was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Director and if this was not enough, both Denzel Washington and Viola Davis were nominated for Best Performance for Male and Female in a Play. The Tony award was named in honor of Antoinette Perry, whose achievements in theatre began in 1906 all the way through 1944, and it is known as, “ one of the theatre’s most coveted awards and it is annually bestowed on professionals for distinguished achievement in the theatre and not for the best in any category”(4).

Impact and Significance'- Kenny Leon is truly a masterful director and has experienced directing throughout the United States and under many different genres of theatre, “ Kenny’s directorial credits span an incomparable range of work, from classic theatre, to drama, to comedy, to musicals, to musical revues, to film. He’s directed extensively around the country, including, among others, Chicago’s Goodman Theatre, Boston’s Huntington Theatre, Connecticut’s Long Wharf Theatre and Hartford Stage, Baltimore’s Center Stage, Los Angeles’ Center Theatre Group, Milwaukee Reparatory, New York’s Public Theatre, Atlanta’s Fox Theatre, Seattle Reparatory, Georgia Shakespeare, San Jose Reparatory, Dallas Theatre Center, and Oregon Shakespeare”(5) Kenny Leon impacted many people throughout his life and one of the people he impacted most was poet and playwright Pearl Cleage whom embodied the characteristics of a, “third generation black nationalist and a radical feminist”(History of African American Theatre 447). Leon directed the playwright Flyin’ West', which, “was a portrayal of the stength and loyalty of black frontier women in Nicodemus, Kansas, an all-black town which is now a National Historic Site”(A History of African American Theatre 447). After the success of this film, Leon launched Cleage onto the national scene of playwriting. Leon and Cleage also worked together on another movie about Harlem during The Great Depression, Blues for an Alabama Sky, while Leon still worked at The Alliance Theatre of Atlanta. These films enabled Cleage to truly speak her beliefs through playwriting and she declares, “I purposefully people my plays with fast-talking, quick-thinking black women...It is my firm belief that exposing my audiences to these African American Nationalist Feminist Warriorwomen, innocently ensconced within the framework of the well- made play, will quicken the swelling of our ranks” (A History of African American Theatre 447).

Leon also had a major impact on The Alliance Theatre of Atlanta. As stated earlier, his presence with the theatre increased its profits from 1 million dollars per year to 5 million dollars per year. Undeniably, he was the reason that The Alliance Theatre of Atlanta became a prominent theatre and the company hosted famous films such as Pearl Cleage's Blues for an Alabama Sky, Alfred Uhry's The Last Night of Ballyhoo', and Elton John and Tim Rice's musical Aida(6).

Another person that Kenny Leon heavily impacted is the well- known songwriter, August Wilson. August Wilson respects Kenny Leon as a producer and a friend and the two worked very well together since as early as the 1990’s. August chose The Alliance Theatre of Atlanta to host the opening day of his Pullitzer- prize winning playwright The Piano Lesson. August declares that he had two reasons for choosing The Alliance Theatre of Atlanta and they were Kenny Leon and because, The Alliance theatre of Atlanta was home to the production of a previous play of his. Athol Fugard was another excellent writer who thought highly of Kenny Leon. In 1992, Fugard’s piece, Playland', premiered at the Alliance Theatre and this helped propell The Alliance Theatre of Atlanta to one of the best theaters in the country.

Awards and Achievements- Kenny Leon was a Drama Desk Award nominee for A Raisin in the Sun. Leon was nominated for a Tony Award in 2010 for Best Director for his work on August Wilson's Fences. He made an appearance in the Hollywood Black Film Festival winner Big Ain't Bad. In 2004, People Magazine named him one of the "50 Most Beautiful People" of the year. In 2004 Kenny Leon was awarded the Martell Cognac Rise Above Award”, honoring his artistry and entrepreneurial spirit In 2007, Leon was a recipient of the 2007 Georgia Arts and Entertainment Legacy Award for his contributions to Georgia's cultural legacy In 2011, (current year), Leon was just elected to THEGRIO’s: 100 History Makers in the Making. “In honor of Black History Month, TheGrio.com unveils its “TheGrio’s 100: History Makers In The Making,” an exclusive list highlighting the next generation of African-American history makers and industry leaders who are writing the next chapter of American history. In its second year, “TheGrio's 100” selects 100 individuals from various fields of work, including: business, education, sports, science and the environment, media, service and activism, politics, health, pop culture, and the arts. TheGrio’s editorial team selected the 100 individuals with input from a group of experts, and NBC News affiliates from across the country. TheGrio.com, a division of NBC News, is a site devoted to news and perspectives that affect and reflect African-Americans.”(http://www.truecolorstheatre.org/kenny-leon-one-thegrio’s-100-history-makers-making”). This award is a major achievement for Kenny Leon because he is included with First Lady Michelle Obama, NBA All-Star and Scoring Champion (2010) Kevin Durant, and Olympic Gold Medalist Cullen Jones, and many more prominent figures in the United States today. This list is currently networked and broadcasted on NBC News and many NBC analysts had their input on the selection of the 100 prominent black figures. This event is also sponsored by AT&T and The Marine Corps. David Wilson, editor of theGrio.com, states, “these are 100 individuals – all with inspiring stories that highlight the challenges African Americans face today. But moreover, these history makers give us great reasons for optimism for our community, and for the country's future” (http://www.truecolorstheatre.org/kenny-leon-one-thegrio’s-100-history-makers-making).

Footnotes: (1)- A History of African American Theatre p.542 (2)- American Theatre p.484 (3)- http://www.truecolorstheatrecompany.com/kenny.html (4)- The Tony Award p.17 (5)- http://www.truecolorstheatrecompany.com/kenny.html (6)- http://kennyleon.com/klp/

Bibliography- http://kennyleon.com/klp/ http://www.truecolorstheatrecompany.com/kenny.html http://www.truecolorstheatre.org/kenny-leon-one-thegrio’s-100-history-makers-making Hill, Errol and Hatch, James. A History of African American Theatre. United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press, 2003. Stevenson, Isabelle. The Tony Awards'. New York: Crown Publishing Inc., 1980. Wilmeth, Don and Bigsby, Christopher. The Cambridge History of American Theatre, Volume 3:Post World War 2 to the 1990s'Italic text. United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press, 2000.